The evening Chelsey received the call she was charge nurse on Valor Point (9A), a Nursing Assistant (NA) who first answered a phone call was unsure what to do because a Veteran was reporting that he was previously on Valor Point and wanted to be re-admitted. Not knowing the next steps, the NA requested Chelsey's help, as the charge nurse. Chelsey took the call and spoke with the caller as he expressed how much he wished he could come back to their unit as he loved how the nurses cared for him. She explained to him that he would have to be admitted to the hospital in order to do so. Most people would have transferred this call to the admissions office, but Chelsey knew it was important to understand why this Veteran wanted to be admitted. She treated him with respect, dignity, and compassion. He explained that he had feelings of harming himself as he just left his mother's funeral and did not want to go on with life. She decided that this call had been taken to another level, and he appeared to be someone with SI (suicidal ideation). She decided that she needed to keep him on the line and asked him about his mother. As he continued to talk, Chelsey would loop in the questions needed to assess SI. She wrote the answers on a piece of paper and waved over a fellow nurse to call the nursing supervisor to notify VA police that she was on the phone with a Veteran who may have taken pills in a suicide attempt. The VA police sent a dispatch to local police to go to the Veteran's home. She remained on the line with the Veteran and continued to talk to him about his concerns while reassuring the VA would help him. Chelsey remained on the phone until police and medical personal arrived to provide the Veteran with assistance.
There are confidential hotlines this Veteran could have called, but due to the relationships built on Valor Point, he reached out to the nursing staff he had previously developed a relationship with. Even though this Veteran was not on our unit, Chelsey exemplifies the philosophy that 'they are ALL our Veterans' and no matter where they are, or where we are, the mission remains the same, we serve those who served. Chelsey supported the Department of Veterans Affairs 'Zero Veteran Suicide Initiative' and collaborated with key VA representatives to provide immediate care to this Veteran in need.